Here's a perennial favorite 20-minute dinner in our family: Pasta with mushroom cream sauce. Admittedly, this dish is much more interesting when made with a variety of fresh wild mushrooms, like chanterelles which I used to forage with my grandmother in the spring, in Germany. But because we live where we do now, we need to make due with what we've got. And at the moment, that's fresh shiitake and cremini only. Usually I have dried porcini on hand to include, but not today. Still, the dish tastes delicious, and what's better than a family meal that's on the table in well under 30 minutes? Here's how we make this creamy comfort food, in case you're hungry and in a hurry:
Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta
2. 5 to 3 cups of fresh chopped mushrooms (a mix works best)
3 garlic cloves
2 small shallots
1 cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
fresh thyme, marjoram or chives
To prepare:
Boil a large pot of water to cook your pasta in.
In a large shallow pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, and toss in mushrooms, seasoning well with salt and pepper.
Sauté mushroom for about 5 or 6 minutes, then add chopped shallots and garlic, stir, and keep cooking on medium low heat another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling, salted water and cook according to package directions.
Add 1 cup of cream to sauce, and season again with salt and pepper.
Add bay leaf and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and / or marjoram to sauce, and simmer on low for about 5 to 7 more minutes, while pasta finishes cooking.
Add cooked pasta (reserving water) directly into sauce pan, with another tablespoon of butter, and cook, stirring to combine, over low heat for a minute before. If pasta looks like it needs a bit more moisture, add a half a cup of the reserved pasta water, and stir in well.
Serve immediate with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, and a glass of wine, if you like that sort of thing, for the adults, because a meal this good, and this quick, is worth celebrating.
Cheers!
Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta
2. 5 to 3 cups of fresh chopped mushrooms (a mix works best)
3 garlic cloves
2 small shallots
1 cup heavy cream
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
fresh thyme, marjoram or chives
To prepare:
Boil a large pot of water to cook your pasta in.
In a large shallow pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter, and toss in mushrooms, seasoning well with salt and pepper.
Sauté mushroom for about 5 or 6 minutes, then add chopped shallots and garlic, stir, and keep cooking on medium low heat another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling, salted water and cook according to package directions.
Add 1 cup of cream to sauce, and season again with salt and pepper.
Add bay leaf and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and / or marjoram to sauce, and simmer on low for about 5 to 7 more minutes, while pasta finishes cooking.
Add cooked pasta (reserving water) directly into sauce pan, with another tablespoon of butter, and cook, stirring to combine, over low heat for a minute before. If pasta looks like it needs a bit more moisture, add a half a cup of the reserved pasta water, and stir in well.
Serve immediate with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese, and a glass of wine, if you like that sort of thing, for the adults, because a meal this good, and this quick, is worth celebrating.
Cheers!
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